# Things to do with kids at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens

> 6 upcoming family events and 2 ongoing programs and visits at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, 47900 Portola Avenue, Palm Desert, CA 92260, in the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario area. Dates and times are Pacific Time. Today is Sat, Oct 24.

Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Oct 25, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about
Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-10-24), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/riverside/venues/the-living-desert-zoo-and-gardens

## Events ahead

- [Zookeeper Academy at The Living Desert (Grades 7–10)](https://grassyknees.com/riverside/activities/zookeeper-academy-at-the-living-desert-grades-7-10--listing-5d3e0bdccda7aee7636861d4) — Sat, Oct 24 · 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM · The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Palm Desert · From $95 · checked Oct 20. A one-morning, career-focused camp for middle and high school students in grades 7 through 10 at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert. Working with the zoo's Learning…
- [Howl-O-Ween at The Living Desert](https://grassyknees.com/riverside/activities/howl-o-ween-at-the-living-desert--listing-6d26583c0feb20658570d42d) — Sat, Oct 31 · 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM · The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Palm Desert · All ages · With admission · checked Oct 13. The Living Desert's family-friendly Halloween celebration, Saturday, October 31, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.: wear a costume and wander the zoo for trick-or-treat stations, pop-up surprises…
- [Fall Mini ZooCamp at The Living Desert (Veterans Day)](https://grassyknees.com/riverside/activities/fall-mini-zoocamp-at-the-living-desert-veterans-day--listing-7a18ec2fe424921f1b1dcc0b) — Wed, Nov 11 · 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM · The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Palm Desert · From $95 · checked Oct 16. A one-day drop-off ZooCamp at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm, for children in grades K–6. Campers are grouped by…
- [Fall ZooCamp at The Living Desert (Thanksgiving week)](https://grassyknees.com/riverside/activities/fall-zoocamp-at-the-living-desert-thanksgiving-week--listing-84ca8a82f774529e5f0a789e) — Mon, Nov 23 (+2 more dates) · 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM · The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Palm Desert · From $250 · checked Oct 16. A three-day morning camp at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens during Thanksgiving week, November 23–25, 2026, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm each day, for grades K–6. This session…
- [WildLights 2026 at The Living Desert](https://grassyknees.com/riverside/activities/wildlights-2026-at-the-living-desert--listing-1325a964f97177e008fc9b44) — Tue, Nov 24 (+20 more dates) · 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM · The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Palm Desert · All ages · From $20 · checked Oct 16. WildLights returns to The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert for the 2026 holiday season, presented by the H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation. On select evenings…
- [Winter ZooCamp at The Living Desert](https://grassyknees.com/riverside/activities/winter-zoocamp-at-the-living-desert--listing-c28c1f911e03dc45cc6c8d4e) — Mon, Dec 21 (+5 more dates) · 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM · The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Palm Desert · From $250 · checked Oct 16. Winter-break ZooCamp at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens runs as two three-day sessions, December 21–23 and December 28–30, 2026, from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm, for grades K–6…

## Ongoing programs and visits

- [Me & You at the Zoo (Toddler Program at The Living Desert)](https://grassyknees.com/riverside/activities/me-and-you-at-the-zoo-toddler-program-at-the-living-desert--listing-d5b66620a8fe593ae33ae786) — Tuesdays and Fridays, 9:30–10:30 am, October 6 to May 14; no sessions Nov 24 & 27, Dec… · The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Palm Desert · With admission · checked Oct 20. A drop-in, hour-long session for toddlers and the adults who bring them, held twice a week at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens in Palm Desert. Educators lead nature-inspired…
- [The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens](https://grassyknees.com/riverside/activities/the-living-desert-zoo-and-gardens--listing-2948ce66b296dadef21e754f) — Open Daily 8:00am – 5:00pm, last admission at 4:00pm; closed December 25th · The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Palm Desert · From $34.95 · checked Oct 13. Accredited zoo and botanical garden in Palm Desert with more than 600 animals in African, Australian and Americas habitats, desert gardens and trails, a splash pad, giraffe…

## Nearby

- [Things to do with kids in Palm Desert, CA](https://grassyknees.com/riverside/towns/palm-desert-ca) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/riverside/towns/palm-desert-ca.md)
- More venues in Palm Desert, CA: [McCallum Theatre](https://grassyknees.com/riverside/venues/mccallum-theatre) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/riverside/venues/mccallum-theatre.md), [Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument Visitor Center](https://grassyknees.com/riverside/venues/santa-rosa-and-038-san-jacinto-mountains-national-monument-visitor-cen) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/riverside/venues/santa-rosa-and-038-san-jacinto-mountains-national-monument-visitor-cen.md), [Berger Foundation Iceplex](https://grassyknees.com/riverside/venues/berger-foundation-iceplex) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/riverside/venues/berger-foundation-iceplex.md)
- [Things to do with kids in Riverside](https://grassyknees.com/riverside) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/riverside.md)
- [This weekend in Riverside](https://grassyknees.com/riverside/this-weekend) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/riverside/this-weekend.md)

Venue pages are listed once a venue has 3 current listings.